The last thing I wanted to do as a kid was to make my bed. If I had a quarter every time I heard "Go make your bed" from my parents, I'd be a millionaire. I never understood the point - "What's the use of making it in the morning when I'm just going to get back in it at night?" And now, at the age of 32, I know why.

It makes me feel amazing!

Because now I've realized...The small things you do on a daily basis affect your overall well-being.What you do at the beginning of the day affects the rest of your day.Being able to do the little things can help you to handle the big things.

And to be honest, I didn't understand this until recently. About 5 months ago I started to make my bed every morning. It was like an experiment for myself. Is this really going to do anything? Will it help me in any way?

To my amazement, things changed. I became more productive. That simple task in the morning set me up to do other things around my home that I was putting off. I did my dishes more, I made my lunch at night, I tidied up. And to top it off, it didn't seem as overwhelming like it might have felt in the past. It was a different kind of feeling. Even walking into my bedroom at the end of the day made me feel really good about myself, like a weight of worry being lifted. I was clean, organized and taking care of myself. It also allowed me to expand in other areas. If I didn't need to focus on my home (I was already secure in that area), I could focus on other things in my life, like spending time with family/friends.

But you might be thinking...this all happened because you made your bed? Really???

You be the judge. You might have that "what's the point?" mentality like I had before the experiment. We might not fully realize the difference if you don't make the change. But think about it - You get home from a stressful day at work or school, possibly exhausted. You walk into your bedroom and see your sheets and comforter in disarray. Maybe some clothes are on the floor and things scattered around. How do you feel? How would it feel to have to pick these things up? (be honest) And when you don't pick them up and go into another room, imagine how that feels (to know it's not cleaned up). Then imagine how it feels in the morning when you know you didn't pick it up. Awful, unmotivated, overwhelmed, "lazy." And the cycle begins again. Don't forget that you judge yourself for that too! Why can't I just clean up after myself? Why am I so lazy? What's wrong with me? I should be able to clean up my bedroom.

I get it. I've been there. Where there's a mess in your home, you may feel a mess in your head. You're scattered, unorganized and not sure what to do about it. And you can't understand why it's this way.

Recently, someone said to me "I know it might sound ridiculous but I can't wait to clean my house and get organized." I told her that it was not ridiculous - that it was self-care. She is taking care of herself by organizing and cleaning the space she lives in. And that includes making her bed.

When our bed is made, it's energetically saying that we value the space where we sleep. That we value ourselves. We could also look at it as stability. When the bed is made, we are stable. We can handle the bigger things that life throws at us because the little thing is done. It's a shift in our care for ourselves. "I make my bed because I care about myself." A friend said to me recently, "When I started making my bed, it made me less likely to get back in it (to take naps). It made me motivated to do other things." Self-care.

In 2014, Navy Adm. William McRaven gave a commencement speech at the University of Texas expressing his views of how the graduating class can "change the world." His first recommendation, something he learned in Navy Seal training, was to make your bed. And while I don't believe we need to make our bed "perfectly" as he described, I agree that by doing this simple task, it can help us do more. "And, if by chance you have a miserable day, you will come home to a bed that is made—that you made—and a made bed gives you encouragement that tomorrow will be better. If you want to change the world, start off by making your bed."

​When I started to notice the difference in myself, I came across a Psychology Today article about how making your bed can change your life. In it, there were some statistics given: "71 percent of bed makers consider themselves happy; while 62 percent of non-bed-makers admit to being unhappy. Bed makers are also more likely to like their jobs, own a home, exercise regularly, and feel well rested, whereas non-bed-makers hate their jobs, rent apartments, avoid the gym, and wake up tired. All in all, bed makers are happier and more successful than their rumple-sheeted peers."

So you could ask, what comes first? Are you making your bed because you're already happy or are you happy because your making your bed? Why not try an experiment to find out what it's like for you? <3 <3​

This is an uplifting and wonderfully simple way to improve our lives. Thank you for sharing your insightful experiences.

Reply

Christine

2/28/2016 04:54:03 pm

What a good outlook! I might need to start making my bed now. :)

Reply

Yamel

3/1/2016 05:19:14 am

This is so true, Erica! Most of us can make our beds in under 1 minute and feel resourceful for the rest of the day.
One of my middle school teachers (Catholic nun) would always comment that "... A messy drawer is a messy brain..." A memorable metaphor for self care as your blog points out.

Reply

Leave a Reply.

Reflections

How does it feel to heal your inner wounds? What does it mean to be fully alive?